Hinsdale Central steps past Glenbard West

Lindsay Homme smiled when asked if off-the-court "issues" can affect Hinsdale Central's girls volleyball team.

"Well, we are teenage girls," the Red Devils senior said, and left it at that.

Hinsdale Central shook off a slow start on Tuesday in Glen Ellyn to beat Glenbard West 20-25, 25-17, 25-12.

Hinsdale Central (11-6, 2-1 West Suburban Silver) nearly knocked off No. 1 Benet in the season's first week and gave No. 2 Naperville North a tough match as well. But in the last week the Red Devils lost three matches. Hinsdale Central coach Sherralyn Kellough hopes her girls are turning the corner again.

"We definitely let our guard down in the last week or so," Kellough said. "We had a long talk with the team that we need to work to get us back to where we were two weeks ago. We've fallen. Let's just call it team issues, personality conflicts. We have to learn to rebuild the trust we've lost. I'm proud of them. It's one step at a time. This is one of those steps."

After dropping Game 1, Hinsdale Central held a tenuous 18-16 lead in the second game. But a pair of Allison Davis kills touched off a fast finish to Game 2 that the Red Devils carried into the third.

Homme started Game 3 with back-to-back blocks and a kill. Hinsdale Central never trailed and Homme had 3 straight kills to finish off the match.

"It's a lot mental with this group," Kellough said. "Physically, they're a very talented group. It comes down to that decision to go after everything, to get up strong on every block and to play every ball defensively and the whole bit. When they're doing that, it's night and day."

Glenbard West (9-6, 1-1), seeking its second win to start the conference season, looked poised to do so early. With the score tied 17-17 in Game 1 Emily Jenkins had a kill and Laura Luczak an ace, and Amy Kendall her fifth kill to close out the game.

The Hilltoppers never could get momentum back, though, after midway through Game 2.

"Every one of our six losses are games that we not only could have won but should have won," Glenbard West coach Pete Mastandrea said. "Until we can polish off critical points and critical games we're going to stumble, because we're young."

Kendall had 8 kills, Luczak 4 and Bridget Lawson 3 for Glenbard West. Homme had 10 kills and 9 blocks, Davis and Melissa Marcucci 5 kills and Amanda Freyn 4 for Hinsdale Central. Michela Wagner added 11 digs and Jamie Netisingha 9.

"We definitely came together as a team at the end," Homme said. "We can be really good if we stay together, stay positive and don't let little issues come between us."